Hanggang Sa Huli

Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Anak

Isang buwan na ang nakalipas magmula noong bumalik ako rito sa Pilipinas. Adjusting is not quite hard for me as of the moment dahil naibalik ko naman ang mga dati kong routines noon. It's been a month din magmula noong bumalik ako sa pagmo-modeling, my schedules are not hectic as much as I think it is kaya balance pa rin ang life ko ngayon.

Friday na ngayon and I'm now getting ready for work. Nag-file ako ng leave for three days dahil pupunta kami ng Alestria bukas. Mayroon akong dahilan kay Mommy para umalis sapagkat birthday ni Tita Bernadette which is Yohan's Mom tomorrow kaya may chance naman na pumayag siya. Even if I'm living independently, I still need to talk her about what's going on in my life. Naiintindihan ko si Mommy, she's now living by herself and nag-aalala rin siya sa akin.

My phone rang. Kinuha ko sa table iyon at nakita ang pangalan ni Daddy na naka-flashed sa screen. I immediately answered it dahil ngayon lang ulit nakatawag sa 'kin si Daddy.

"Good morning, Dad!" I cheerfully said.

I heard him chuckling through the phone. "Did you miss me, sweetie? Good morning, dear Seah."

Wala sa sarili akong napangiti. "I missed you so much, dad! How have you been?"

"I have a crucial case that I've worked on these past few months, anak... I'm really sorry kung ngayon lang kita kinamusta, I'm really busy."

Suminghap ako. "It's fine, Dad, busy din naman po ako sa photoshoots... Bakit po pala kayo napatawag? Is there something wrong?"

"No, of course not! Everything's fine, anak, you don't need to worry," aniya.

"Pero..." Dad's hesitantly said. "Nagkita na ba kayo ni Chase?"

That question caught me off-guard. Bakit natanong ni Daddy iyon? Why does he want to know if I already met Chase when he first greeted his daughter? Napasinghap ako sa mga nai-isip ko... This is probably nothing.

"Yes, Dad, I met him the day I got here," kabado kong sambit. "But we're in the same circle of friends, don't misunderstand it."

Narinig ko siyang tumawa. "Yeah, alam ko. You sound so defensive."

Umirap ako sa kawalan. "Bakit, Dad? Did Mom order you this? Please, wala na kaming koneksyon sa isa't isa."

"Hindi, hindi ako inutusan ni Beatriz tanungin 'to sa 'yo, Seah. I just want to know if Chase is all right... Wala ba siyang binabanggit sa 'yo? Something personal?"

"Wala, Dad. We rarely spoke to each other, you know," aniko.

"Can you do me a favor, Seah?" saad niya. "P'wede bang kumustahin mo siya kapag magkikita man kayo? I know this is pretty much to ask but Chase has a lot of problems... Marami siyang pasan-pasan na responsibilidad hindi lang sa pang-personal niyang buhay pati na rin sa pamilya niya, Seah. His family is not well right now, kahit successful siyang tao ngayon, mayroon pa rin siyang downfall."

May pumatak na luha sa kanan kong mata. "Why are you telling me this, Dad? Bakit ako pa?"

I heard him sigh. "It's up to you, anak."

We both stayed in a long, deep silence. I cannot believe that my Dad wanted me to do this to Chase, I mean we're friends but I'm not comfortable... Fuck this, he may have a very big problem.

"I'll think about it, Dad," I said. "We're going back to Alestria tomorrow, just a three-day vacation. Don't tell this to Mom or I'll take back your offer."